1) The document is a sample student APA research paper on the topic of whether medication can cure obesity in children. 2) It follows APA formatting guidelines, including section headings, in-text citations, and a reference list. 3) The paper reviews literature on obesity in children and medications used to treat it, with the goal of determining if medication alone can cure childhood obesity.

1. APA Research Paper (Mirano)
Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006).
Obesity in Children i
Can Medication Cure Obesity in Children?
A Review of the Literature
Luisa Mirano
Psychology 107, Section B
Professor Kang
October 31, 2004
Short title and
page number for
student papers.
Lowercase roman
numerals are used
on title page and
abstract page,
arabic numerals
on all text pages.
Full title, writer’s
name, and section
number of course,
instructor’s name,
and date (all cen-
tered).
XXXX
Marginal annotations indicate APA-style formatting and effective writing.
Sample APA Formatted Paper

2. Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006).
Abstract appears on
a separate page.
Sample APA Formatted Paper

3. Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006).
Full title, centered.
The writer uses a
footnote to define
an essential term
that would be cum-
bersome to define
within the text.
The writer sets
up her organiza-
tion by posing four
questions.
The writer states
her thesis.
Sample APA Formatted Paper

4. Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006).
Headings, centered,
help readers follow
the organization.
In a signal phrase,
the word “and”
links the names of
two authors; the
date is given in
parentheses.
Because the author
(Carmona) is not
named in the signal
phrase, his name
and the date
appear in parenthe-
ses, along with the
paragraph number
of the electronic
source.
Sample APA Formatted Paper

5. Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006).
Ellipsis mark
indicates omitted
words.
An ampersand
links the names of
two authors in
parentheses.
The writer draws
attention to an
important article.
Sample APA Formatted Paper

6. Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006).
The writer uses a
table to summa-
rize the findings
presented in two
sources.
A note gives the
source of the data.
A content note
explains data
common to all
subjects.
Sample APA Formatted Paper

7. Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006).
When this article
was first cited, all
four authors were
named. In subse-
quent citations of
a work with three
to five authors,
“et al.” is used
after the first
author’s name.
Sample APA Formatted Paper

8. Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006).
For a source with
six or more
authors, the first
author’s surname
followed by “et al.”
is used for the first
and subsequent
references.
Sample APA Formatted Paper

9. Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006).
The writer
develops the
paper’s thesis.
Sample APA Formatted Paper

10. Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006).
Brackets indicate
a word not in the
original source.
A quotation longer
than 40 words
is set off from
the text without
quotation marks.
The writer inter-
prets the evidence;
she doesn’t just
report it.
The tone of the
conclusion is ob-
jective.
Sample APA Formatted Paper

11. Obesity in Children 9
While none of the medications currently available is a miracle
drug for curing the nation’s 9 million obese children, research
has illuminated some of the underlying factors that affect obe-
sity and has shown the need for a comprehensive approach to
the problem that includes behavioral, medical, social, and
political change.
Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006).
Sample APA Formatted Paper

12. Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006).
List of references
begins on a new
page. Heading is
centered.
List is alphabet-
ized by authors’
last names. All
authors’ names
are inverted.
The first line of
an entry is at the
left margin;
subsequent lines
indent 1⁄2'' (or
five spaces).
Double-spacing is
used throughout.
Sample APA Formatted Paper

13. Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006).
Sample APA Formatted Paper